Survey shows cataract surgery times can be decreased

Skokie, IL

-Ambulatory centers performing cataract extraction with lens insertion can reduce their procedure times and improve efficiencies, safety, and patient satisfaction, according to a survey conducted by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) Institute for Quality Improvement.

The survey, “Cataract Extraction with Lens Insertion 2008 Report: Performance Measurement and Benchmarking in Ambulatory Organizations,” consisted of 113 organizations that submitted information on more than 1,700 procedures performed in 2008, according to a prepared statement.

“In the study, only procedure times are used for benchmarking because the processes involved are not dictated by clinical guidelines and are, for the most part, within the control of the organization,” said Naomi Kuznets, PhD, managing director of the AAAHC Institute. “They also are indicators of safety and patient satisfaction.”

Other factors measured in the survey included patient outcomes, indications for the procedure, complications, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification and anesthesia monitoring, and prevention of wrong-lens insertion and wrong-site surgery.

The 77 ambulatory organizations that participated perform 64 to 12,000 cataract procedures each year, for a total of more than 143,000 annually. Study participants included 55 freestanding single-specialty ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), 17 multispecialty ASCs, and five office-based surgery practices, according to the release.

For more information or to order the report, visit

www.aaahciqi.org

.